By Jonathan Josephs
Business reporter.
The image is from the same source.
AT&T has agreed to delay the roll out of its new 5G service at some airports.
The C-band service was due to be turned on tomorrow.
The signals could interfere with the navigation systems of planes, so airlines in the US have pushed to delay the start.
The other major company planning to start its 5G service did not respond to a request for comment.
As regulators rush to work out a solution to an issue that airlines have warned could cause major disruption, At&T has again postponed.
AT&T said it was temporarily postponing the roll out at a limited number of towers around certain airport runways. Regulators had two years to plan for the start of 5G service.
The firm said that it was frustrated by the FAA's inability to do what nearly 40 countries have done and safely deploy 5G technology without disrupting aviation services.
"We are launching our advanced 5G services everywhere else as planned with the temporary exception of this limited number of towers."
Airlines fear that 5G signals will disrupt planes' navigation systems.
The 10 biggest US airlines wrote a letter to the FAA requesting that 5G signals be excluded from two miles of airport runways.
This will allow 5G to be deployed while avoiding harmful impacts on the aviation industry, travelling public, supply chain, vaccine distribution, our workforce and broader economy.
They asked the FAA to identify those base stations that need to be addressed to ensure safety and avoid disruption.
Two major planemakers have voiced concerns.
The image is from the same source.
In an update on Sunday, the FAA said it had cleared 45% of the US commercial fleet to perform low-visibility landings at many of the airports where 5G C-band will be deployed.
The FAA approved two radio altimeter models that are installed in a wide variety of Boeing and Airbus planes.
Even with the new approvals, flights at some airports may still be affected.
The FAA is working with manufacturers to understand how radar altimeter data is used in other flight control systems. If the weather is forecast at a destination where 5G interference is possible, passengers should check with their airlines.
The phone companies have spent tens of billions of dollars to upgrade their networks to use the 5G technology, which brings faster internet services.
The launch dates for December and earlier this month were pushed back because of the aviation concerns.
The aviation industry has been accused of fear-mongering by the US wireless industry group.
A delay will cause harm. In a November post, the CTIA chief executive said that if deployment was pushed back one year, it would subtract $50 billion from economic growth.
Companies.
Aviation safety.
5G.
Air travel.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
